Flanged strip for terrazzo floors



NOV. 17, 1931. GALASSl FLANGED STRIP FOR TERRAZZO FLOORS Filed Oct. 5,1930 3g 2 t EM 11. u l asqlmle alas si.

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Patented Nov. 17, 1931 UNITED STATES PASQUALE GALASSI, OF NEW YORK, N.Y. c

FLANGE!) STRIP FOE- TERRAZZO FLOORS Application filed October 3, 1980.Serial No. 486,165.

This inventionrelates to improvements in the construction of terrazzoand similar floors and more particularly refers to a new type ofdividing strip adapted for use in connection with such floors.

Terrazzo, granolithic and similar floors generally comprise a lower orfoundation bed made of concrete or cement or mortar or other suitablematerial and an upper or finishing layer generally consisting of amixture of marble chips and cement, providing a good durable surface,and aifording the possibility of producing design and color effects of apractically unlimited variety.

In the construction of this type of floors, the foundation layer isfirst laid and allowed to harden to a suflicient degree of consistency.Dividing strips are then placed on or through the foundation layer, soas to outline a predetermined design, and the upper layer is then laidin position. As a result, the floor which is ground and polished afterthe upper layer has become hard will appear as a combination of panelstogether forming the floor design, said panels being separated from oneanother by the dividing strips.

The strips employed are generally made of relatively soft metal such asbrass for instance, but are also at times made of different materialsaccording to the ornamental requirements of the design and color schemeto be produced.

As a rule however, the metal employed is apt to be considerably moreexpensive than steel, and therefore it is desirable to substitute steelor some other inexpensive material for the part of the strip which isembedded into the floor material and which is not likely to show evenafter the floor has been sub jected to considerable wear, 7

In a patent entitled Dividing strip, granted to me May 28, 1929,#1,715,193, I have described and claimed a strip composed oftwo sectionsinterlocking with each other by means of male and female joints formedby their inner edge portions. Furthermore, in a copending applicationentitled, Terrazzo floor strips, Ser. No. 37 6,809, I have described andclaimed a somewhat similar strip in which the joint portions of thestrip extend laterally at one side thereof, this construction tending tolncrease the rigidity of the structure and dolng away with the necessityof providing additional anchoring and posi' laterally extending flange,the inner edge portion of the other section having parts abuttingagainst the surface of the other section opposite'that from which saidlaterally extending flange extends, said other section having laterallyextending lugs embracing and retaining said laterally extending flange.

In connection with the strip forming the subject of the last mentionedapplication, I have found that it is usually necessary for the flangedsection to be the upper section of the strip, because the laterallyextending lugs embracing-and retaining the flange extending laterally ofsaid upper section are off-set from the body of the lower section whereit is not necessary to maintain the continuity of the metal sectionthroughout the length of the strip.

While the provision of aflange extending laterally of the stripthroughout its entire length is a very desirable feature, because theflange serves themanifold purpose of increasing the rigidity of thestrip, providing a gauge for determining the depth at which the strip isto be inserted in the lower layer, providing a leveling means insuringthe vertical alignment of the strip, and providing an efficient meansforanchoring thestrip in position, I have found in practice that whenthe flange is made integral with the upper section of the strip, thecost of production is materially increased, because as stated, the uppersection is generally made of'brass or some other expensive metal.

Bymy present invention I have sought to retain all the advantagespertaining to a bimetallic strip formed with a continuous longitudinalflange, at the same time reducing to a minimum its cost of productionk Ihave therefore devised a new construction of strip composed of twosections in which the lower section is made integral with a longitudinalcontinuous laterally extending flange, said lower section beingfurthermore formed with a plurality of longitudinally spaced up-- turnedtongues or lugs adapted to be connected to or to interlock with theupper section.

By virtue of this construction, all the bent portions of the strip arepreferably obtained from the lower section and therefore no eX- cessmetal is required for the upper section.

The primary object of this invention is accordingly to provide adividing strip-for terrazzo and like floors, of a rigid and relativelyinexpensive construction, said strip being formed out of two sections,the lower one of which is provided with a longitudinal continuous flangelaterally extending from the body thereof.

Another object is to provide a bimeta lic floor strip of relativelysimple and strong construction entailing for its production the use of aminimum quantity of metal for its upper section, the two sectionscomposing said strip being securely joined to each other by operationsrequiring a relatively small expenditure of labor.

A further object is to provide a bimetallic floor strip composed of anupper and a lower section in which the lower section is formed with alongitudinal continuous laterally extending flange and is adapted to bestandardized in a way, yet permitting the use of upper sections ofvarying character and width.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will more fullyappear as the description proceeds and will be set forth and claimed inthe appended. claims.

My invention is illustrated by way of eX ample in the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary View in perspective of a strip embodying myinvention in which the upper section is constituted by a fiat strip ofmetal, and the lower section is bent to form a longitudinal laterallyextending flange, and is formed with upturned lugs interlocking with theupper section;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view in perspective of a similar strip in whichthe upper section is composed of a plurality of flat strips arrangedside by side;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view in perspective of a strip similar to thatshown in Fig. 1 in which theupper sections consists of a relatively widebar having a relatively narrow rib portion depending therefrominterlocking with the lugs upwardly projected from the lower section;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view in perspe C... t'ive of a strip of the typeshown in Fig. i,

in which the connection between the upper section and the lugs upturnedfrom the lower section is obtained by means of welding or similaroperations;

Fig. 5 is a Vertical section of a similar strip in which the uppersection is riveted onto the lugs upwardly projecting from the lowersection;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary View in perspective of a strip embodying myinvention in a somewhat diiferent form;

Fig. 7 is a. fragmentary view in perspective of another strip alsoembodying my invention in a still different form; and

Fig.8 is a fragmentary vertical cross section of a terrazzo floorshowing the dividing strip of the type shown in Fig. l in position.

As stated in the premi es, my invention consists essentially in a stripcomprising a lower section, having its inner edge bent to form alaterally extending continuous longitudinal flange, and an upper sectionjoined to said lower section to form a unitary strip therewith. in abroad sense a strip answering this description has already been shownand described by me in a copending application entitled Composite floorstrips Serial No. 376,808. Some of the constructional features of thepresent invention however, have not been shown in the said applicationwhich is more particularly directed to a strip composed of two sectionswelded to each other along their inner edges irrespective of theindividual outlines of said sections.

Some the figures pertaining to the drawings of said applicationillustrate a strip in which the lower section has its inner edge bent toform a longitudinally extending flange projecting laterally of the bodythereof, and the upper section has its lower edge divi ding i.

portion abutting side by side against the inner edge portion of thelower section, the two abutting portions of said sections being weldedto each other at longitudinally spaced intervals.

Since the flange formed in the lower section should preferably be at adistan e from the upper edge of the strip corresponding to the depth ofthe upper layer of the floor, so that said flange will act not only asanchoring means for the strip but also as positioning means therefor, aconstruction such as shown in said drawings, makes it necessary for theupper section. to be made out of a strip wider than the depth of theupper layer of the floor. The upper section is generally made of ratherexpensive metal such as brass. for instance, and therefore theadditional amount of metal required by the portion of the upper sectionoverlapping the lower section results in a material increase in the costof produ tion of the strip.

Therefore, although it very desirable to retain the advantages derivingfrom the use of a flanged lower section, it is also highly desirable atthe same time to reduce to a minwho imum the amount of metal required inorder to produce the upper section. In a strip made according to thepresent lnvention a good surface contact is maintained between of slotsor openings 13 arranged at spaced intervals in proximity of its lower orinner edge.

The lower section is preferably formed out of an originally flat stripby bending its inner edge portion at right angles to its body portion 1dso as to form a laterally extending longitudinal flange 15. The body 1aof said lower section is punched at spaced in tervals in proximity ofits upper or inner edge to form tongues depending from said upper orinner edge, in correspondence of slots or openings 13 in the uppersection.

The tongues thus formed are bent upwardly as shown at 16, their outerportion being bent inwardly as shown at 17, so as to be insertablethrough slots or openings 13, when the inner or lower edge portion ofthe up-' per section is placed against the upwardly extending portions16 of said tongues. The tip end of said tongues is then bent'downwardlyagainst the opposite side of the upper section as shown at 18, so thatas a result, the tongues will form hook shaped members inserted throughslots or openings 13, securely joining the two sections of the strip toeach other.

As stated, the height of the upper section preferably corresponds to thedepth of the upper layer of a floor in connection with which the stripis to be used, and therefore the flange 15 will serve both aspositioning and anchoring means for the strip.

It will be observed that this construction results in a very rigidstrip, easy to place in Y widths,whethe'r said upper sections arecomposed of a number of units or whether they consist of solid barsdrawn or rolled in specially designed shapes.

In Fig. 2 I show a strip embodying my invention in which the uppersection is composed of a plurality of units in order to produce arelatively wide or heavy line in the floor design between adjoiningpanels;

In said strip, the lower section substantially corresponds tothe onedescribed in connection with Fig. 1, comprising a body portion 19, alongitudinal flange 20 laterally extending from the upper or inner edgethereof, and a plurality of upturned inwardly and downwarlly benttongues such as 21, inserted through corresponding slots or openings 22provided in the upper section. Said upper section is shown as beingcomposed of three flat strips 23, 24, 25 arranged side by side, saidstrips being of the same width and each having an uninterrupted upperedge collectively forming a relatively wide upper edge 26.

in 3, the lower section substantially corrcsponc s to the one inconnection with Fig. 1. The upper section comprises a relatively widehead 27, formed with a depending relatively thin rib portion 28,provided with a longitudinal series of slots or openings 29, throughwhich the retaining tongues '30 of the lower section are inserted asexplained in connection with the strip of Fig. 1.

It will be observed that the oil-setting of the tongue memberssuch as16, 21, 30 from the body of the lower section results in said lowersection having openings such as 31 at spaced intervals through which theplastic composition of which the floor is composed can penetrate. Saidopenings will therefore cooperate with the flange in anchoring the stripin position. From the preceding description it is obvious that it isquite possible in practice to standardize the construction of the lowersection and use it in connection with upper sections of various widths;this feature is important from the standpoint of economy in manufacturebe- V cause mass production methods may be applied in connection withthe manufacture of the lower section without affecting the possibilityof producing strips having upper edges of different widths.

It is within the scope of my invention to effect the connection betweenthe upper section and the tongues upwardly extending from the lowersection in ways different from that described in connection with thestrips of Figs. l to 3.

For instance, in Fig. 4, I illustrate a strip in which the lower sectioncomprises a body portion 32, a longitudinal flange 33, laterallyextending from the upper or inner edge thereof, and a plurality oftongues such as 34; off-set from the body portion 32 and upwardlyprojecting therefrom at spaced inter vals along its upper or inner edge,said tongues however are not bent inwardly and 4 l, comprising a bodyportion downwardly as is the case in the strips previously descrioed,but only extend upwardly a distance of about to 5%, enough to offer asurface of abutment for the lower or inner portion of the upper section35, making it possible to connect said tongues to said upper section inany suitable manner.

F or instance, in said Fig. 4-, I show the upper section joined to saidtongues by spot welding as shown at 36. This method of manufacture comeswithin the scope of my above mentioned patent application #376,808 andmay at times be preferable to the method of joining the two sectionspreviously described which is performed by punch and die operations.Various considerations will, of course, enter into play when decidingupon which method of production is to be adopted, these considerationsbeing based on labor, costs and also depending upon the facilities andequipment available.

In F 5, I show a strip in which the lower section is identical to theone shown in Fig. 37, a laterally extending longitudinal flange 38, anda plurality of upwardly projecting tongues 39. In this case also theupper section consists of a strip -l-0 having its lower or inner edgepor- Zion abutting against tongues 39, and both said tongues and saidupper section are perforated to receive rivets such as 4-1 by means ofwhich the two sections composing the strip are securely joined together.

The strip illustrated in Fi 6 comprises a lower section 42 similar tothat shown in connection with Figs. l and 5, provided with upwardlyprojecting tongues l3. The upper section 44- however, is longitudinallyslit at spaced intervals in proximity of its lower or mner edge alongtwo spaced tracts parallel with said edge as shown at 45, 46, so as toisolate bent portions such as 47, which may be oil-set laterally of thebody of the upper section so as to form vertical slots through whichtongues 43 may be inserted, as shown. The tips of said tongues can thenbe bent a trifle outwardly, so as to prevent the two sections from oncemore coming apart.

In Fig. 7, I illustrate a'construction in which the connection betweenthe lower section and the upper section is obtained by nmching out andforcin upwardly tongues sucn as 48 from the flange portion 49 of thelower section 50. The upper section 51 is also punched at spacedintervals along its lower or inner edge to form laterally extending lugs52, abutting against the inner sides of tongues do. The tip ends of saidtongues are then bent over and downwardly against said lugs, forminghook retaining members therefor, such as shown at 53, securing the twosections to each other.

The use of a strip of the type shown in r l g. 1, is illustrated in Fig.8, where 54 is a floor foundation, 55 is the lower layer of a terrazzofloor and 56 is the upper layer. In the same it will be observed thatthe lower surface of the flange 15 rests upon the top surface of thelower layer of the floor thus determining the depth at which the stripis to be inserted within theplastic material out of which the lowerlayer is made.

The remaining portion of the strip upwardly projecting from said lowerlayer therefore determines the depthof the upper layer, flange 15 alsoanchoring the strip in position after the upper layer has been laid.

The constructional details of my improved strip may vary from thoseshown without departing from the inventive idea; the drawings willtherefore be understood as being intended for illustrative purposes onlyand not in a limiting sense. Accordingly, I reserve the ri ht to carrymy invention into practice, in all those ways and manners which mayenter, fairly, into the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A divider strip for terrazzo or like floors, comprising upper andlower longitudinal sections. the lower se tion having at its inner edgean uninterrupted flange extending lateral v of the body thereof, andhaving a V any of longitudinally spaced upwardly projecting tongues, theupper section being connected to said tongues to form aunitary stripwith said. lower section.

A divider strip for terrazzo or like floors, comprising upper and lowerlongitudinal sections, the lower section having at inner edge anuninterrupted flange extending laterally of the body thereof, and havingaplurality of longitudinally spaced upwardly projectii tongues, theuppersection interlocking wi h said tongues to form a unitary strip with saidlower section.

3. A divider strip for terrazzo or like floors, comprising upper andlower longitudinal sections, the lower section having at its inner edgean uninterrupted"flange extending laterally of the bodythereof, andhaving a plurality of longitudinally spaced upwardly projecting tongues,the upper section having a plurality of longitudinally spacedperforations along its inner edge, said tongues being inserted throughsaid perforations and joining said two sections to each other.

l. A divider strip for terrazzo or like floors, comprising upper andlower longitudinal sections, the lower section having at its inner edgean uninterrupted flange extencing laterally of the body thereof, andhaving a plurality of longitudinally spaced tongues offset from the bodythereof and projecting upwardly therefrom, the inner edge portion of theupper section abutting against said tongues and being connected theretoto form a unitary strip with said lower section.

5. A divider strip for terrazzo or like floors, comprising upper andlower longitudinal sections, the lower section having at its inner edgean uninterrupted flange extending laterally of the body thereof, andhaving a pluralitv of longitudinally spaced tongues offset from the bodythereof and projecting upwardly therefrom, the inner edge portion of theupper section abutting against said tongues and having a plurality ofcorrespondingly spaced perforations along its inner edge, said tonguesbeing inserted through said perforations and joining said two sectionsto each other.

6. A divider strip for terrazzo or like floors, comprising upper andlower longitudinal sections, the lower section having at its inner edgean uninterrupted flange extending laterally of the body thereof, andhaving a plurality of longitudinally spaced upwardly projecting tongues,the upper section consisting of a plurality of units arranged side byside and interlocking with said tongues to form a unitary strip withsaid lower section.

7. A divider strip for terrazzo or like floors, comprising upper andlower longitudinal sections, the lower section having at its inner edgean uninterrupted flange extending laterally of the body thereof, andhaving a plurality of longitudinally spaced tongues offset from the bodythereof and propeoting upwardly therefrom, the upper section consistingof a plurality of units arranged side by side and having a plurality ofcorrespondingly spaced perforations along its inner edge, said tonguesbeing inserted through said perforations and joining said two sectionsto each other.

PASQUALE GALASSI.

